Texas Tech Is No Longer a System Team

The obscure football team from Lubbock, outsold for years by high school games, has changed drastically in the past three years. It is time to acknowledge the evolution of this team from a high-octane system team to a high-octane football team.

The derogatory term, system, must be dropped from all conversation regarding Texas Tech at this point. System implies a team that puts up godly numbers but lacks dimension and wins.

Texas Tech has dimension and the longest win streak in the country at 12 wins. Ruffin McNeill has put together a fine defense consisting of scrappy no-name players who have helped Tech win those games they have traditionally lost in the past. This defense has held some of the best offenses in the nation to far below their average scores.

Take Oklahoma State, for example, who is used to scoring 42 points a game.

Try 20.

Or Kansas at 35 points a game.

How about 21.

Even Texas at 45 a game.

More like 33.

OU averages 51 points a game. I expect that stat to plummet after Nov. 22. This defense is legit.

Oh, and we mustn't forget the rushing attack of Shannon Woods and Baron Batch. It is as good as it has been in the Mike Leach era at 133 yards per game. They also have 22 TDs on the ground—impressive for a team that also has 36 through the air.

They are a first down machine, averaging 30 per game. It is hard to stop an offense from scoring when they can drive down the field that often.

I will not ask for you to respect Texas Tech (though I don't see why you wouldn't). All I ask is that Texas Tech stop being labeled as a "System" team. It has evolved into a legitimate national championship contender, and I believe it is time to stop judging this team based on the past.